Did anyone already try to simplify in a table the advantages and disadvantages of different shapes?I know it is a big approximation, but I believe it will be a good input for shape selection but I need your help to link to each shape the specific characteristics

I think you simplyfied this alitle too much, to give you any serious comment.

A good comment could for a good start, what is too simple and what is better to go more in detail (I was also thinking that the aspect ratio is really important and it is missing).

I think this is a good idea and we can improve the simplification and make it more "comment friendly"

Now the second question is: is it worth it? Is there someone interested in this approach?

For me a table (maybe different and more complex or something completely different...) could be useful for 2 reasons: first for inexperienced board builderssecond also for normal people that would like to buy a new board with some characteristics, maybe a table like that will be helpful

(sorry to bother you again, sorry for intruding your thread. sorry if i ask stupid questions, its just that i try to understand and can make decisions for my purchase. If you have a very very leight board (so it will be thin) and you want to go upwind easily, what shape should the rocker of the board have/or doesn t it matter/in the shop they never tell you exactly because they focus on the branche)

I am curious about this. I have never built a board, but these upstate NY winters do get long, and I am toying with the idea of giving it a shot. I have worked on yachts for years and toured many boat building plants and am comfortable with the process. But I don't know where to start with shaping. I am about as average size as you can get and thinking about building a light wind board. Realistically, I can see shapes: 1,2,3,7 and possibly 9 as options. As for a Roc and Con, I am really at a loss. I know in the snowboard world some manufacturers are releasing reverse rocker boards, but I am not sure how that would handle in the water. I am sure many of these shapes have been tried, and I am curious about the pro's and con's of each. I know the line drawings are crude, but for the new guy like myself, I think it's good place to start.

I am curious about this. I have never built a board, but these upstate NY winters do get long, and I am toying with the idea of giving it a shot. I have worked on yachts for years and toured many boat building plants and am comfortable with the process. But I don't know where to start with shaping. I am about as average size as you can get and thinking about building a light wind board. Realistically, I can see shapes: 1,2,3,7 and possibly 9 as options. As for a Roc and Con, I am really at a loss. I know in the snowboard world some manufacturers are releasing reverse rocker boards, but I am not sure how that would handle in the water. I am sure many of these shapes have been tried, and I am curious about the pro's and con's of each. I know the line drawings are crude, but for the new guy like myself, I think it's good place to start.

Cheers!

shapes with sharp edges can spray you in the face

more rocker helps prevent getting sprayed, and helps performance. a flat rocker is very hard on the legs because you have to force the board to plane at an angle (puts too much stress on your back leg).

rocker 1 (continuous) tends to have a smoother shape than rocker 3 (progressive), rocker 3 is more of a wakeboard rocker. Ideally you want something between 1 and 3 so it planes smoothly, rests well on both legs and has some pop. Increased rocker leads to a lot of pop, but too much makes it impossible to ride since it plows through the water like a bulldozer.

Concave 3 is what you want, it lets you channel the water in a groove through the board, concave 1 and 2 lets the water slip through. concave helps your landing because it gives an additional place for the board to flex and it keeps the board tracking well. You don't need concave though.

A normal looking kiteboard is usually best, rounded at the ends, with some rocker, a bit thicker at the middle.

When you are building a light wind board you want several things to happen

1) very small rocker (but not entirely flat). somewhere around 3 to 4 cm of rocker is what you want

2) not too much curve. This gives you less pop than an aggressively curved board, but also less resistance and better planing

3) a lot of width

4) rounded corners to prevent spray in your face

Experiment. It's possible to kite with anything you build.

Also, get your snowboard out during the winter and hit those frozen lakes.

Thanks for all the information! Snowkiting is my passion. We are one of the coldest places in the U.S. during the winter months. It's not uncommon to have high temperatures in the -10's and lows in the -30's. Our lakes freeze pretty quickly. I also asked a local farmer if I can rock his fields once the snow piles up so I don't have to wait for the lakes, just enough snow to not worry about my bases.

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